A state of intoxication
Alcoholic intoxication. In legal medicine, intoxication or being “under the influence” of alcohol is defined according to the concentration of alcohol in the blood or exhaled air. The precise concentration used to define legal intoxication varies among states. Drivers are considered intoxicated with alcohol (in many states) when the blood level is 0.08% or more. A blood alcohol level over 0.5% is sufficient to cause alcoholic coma in most people.